Public define what they think #OldIs with eye-opening tweets

As the new year rolls on with nobody getting any younger, the older people’s charity Independent Age has been asking the public to tweet what they think being old means using the hashtag #OldIs.

Bill Mitchell aged 74 has run 158 marathons.

A 24-year-old man named Charlie has revealed that he believes #OldIs "having my own family". However Betty, aged 73, has been there and got the T-shirt and disagrees saying: "I don't feel old because I have a busy lifestyle and four grand-kiddies."

Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, which represents care homes, has gone on record to call the UK institutionally ageist.

“God alone knows why it hasn’t been challenged in the courts in the same way that instances of racism and homophobia are,” the chair of the International Longevity Centre, has said.

One pensioner has used the #OldIs hashtag to join the Twitterati to say: ’#Oldis working 'til we die as #government deny our earned #pensions!

'Women have done everything expected of us, paid our dues from 15/16, planned our retirement, to collect pension at expected age of 60, government added 6 years to pension age, me, not notified!’

Charlie aged 24 believes being old is having a family. Credit: Independent Age.

Meanwhile, a 74-year-old grandad Bill Mitchell is doing his best to smash public perceptions of what being old means, having run 158 marathons since 2008. Of these, 23 marathons were ‘ultra-marathons’ and he only began running in his 60s.

The ex-merchant navy officer has run the famously tough Marathon des Sables – a six-day, 250km endurance test where temperatures often exceed 50C ‘ – and he’s completed it three times.

Asked what will make him stop running, he said: “I won’t stop because of age. I will stop because I want to stop.

“A lot of people resign themselves to old age. I always say to people ‘you’re never too old to do anything.”

His efforts have resulted in Mr Mitchell’s name being added to the hashtag #OldIs with one person tweeting ‘If Bill, 74, is “old” then #OldIs 158 marathons and many more still to come.’

Chris Lee tweets “Age is a state of mind - I've known 40 year old 'fogeys' and 80 year old 'young things'”.

But one 25-year-old admits ‘#oldis being in a 90s bar and no one knowing the music. I'm only 25...’

Still the challenging question posed by Independent Age has sparked more than a few witty tweets with one post revealing ‘#Oldis when your partner says "Let's go upstairs and make love" & you reply "I can't do both!".’